North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority

Working Together to Protect Our Drinking Water Sources

Everyone should be able to trust that the water they drink is safe. Protecting the sources of our drinking water - lakes, rivers or underground aquifers - is the first step to ensure safe drinking water through the development of a Source Protection Plan (SP Plan).

The North Bay-MattawaSource Protection Authority(SPA) coordinated the development of the Source Protection Plan (SP Plan) to protect the sources of five municipal drinking water systems in our watershed: Callander, Mattawa, North Bay, Powassan and South River. The SPA appointed the localSource Protection Committee(SPC). Who worked with the municipalities, various stakeholders and the general public to ensure that the Source Protection Plan is relevant at the local level and that our drinking water sources are protected now and for future generations. The SP Plan is based on the scientific and technical findings and consultations contained in theAssessment Report.

Implementation

The SP Plan designates bodies to implement the policies including municipalities, provincial ministries, the Source Protection Authority, the Technical Standards & Safety Authority and the North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority (NBMCA). Municipalities will implement the plan through a variety of strategies, including their own official plans and bylaws, and other bodies will implement policies through the legislative and regulatory frameworks required in the SP Plan.

The Clean Water Act was passed by the Ontario legislature to assist communities with protecting their municipal drinking water supplies at the source. Through source protection planning, communities across Ontario identify potential risks to local water quality and water supply, and create a plan to reduce or eliminate these risks. Development of the Plans is overseen by local Source Protection Committees and involves watershed residents, municipalities, conservation authorities, property owners, farmers, industry, health officials, community groups, and others.

Source Protection Planning is governed by theClean Water Act, 2006and has been fully funded by the Province of Ontario to March 2015.

Learn more about Ontario's Drinking Water Source Protection Program by visitingwww.ontario.ca

Public Meetings set for Source Protection Plan Review

Public Meetings set for Source Protection Plan Review June 6 in Callander and June 14 in North Bay

All policies established to protect the sources of municipal drinking water in North Bay, Mattawa, Powassan, Callander, and South River are now in place and being implemented according to the North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority’s Source Protection Plan Annual Report.

“The report provides an update on the status of policies and explains some challenges and findings that arose through the process of implementation,” said Sue Miller, Manager of the Drinking Water Source Protection Program.

A policy review is now underway, with changes anticipated for the Callander and North Bay sections of the Source Protection Plan. Public meetings will be held as part of the review.

“With respect to algae blooms in Callander Bay, we now have more than ten years of research and experience working with land owners to increase our understanding of the problem. We have information to share with the community,” said Miller.

A public meeting scheduled for June 6, 7 pm at the Callander Legion at 345 Lansdowne Street, will give the community an opportunity hear what has been learned, what still needs to be researched, and how new knowledge may change the approach to dealing with the algae problem. The meeting will also provide a valuable opportunity to gain input and feedback from residents in the Callander-Wasi watershed.

For the North Bay system, the vulnerability of the intake was scored too low originally and will likely need to be increased. This potentially means that additional activities will be identified as threats which will need to be managed.

“During implementation we discovered that the portion of the Trout Lake watershed vulnerable to contamination is somewhat larger than first thought ,” says Sue Miller, A public consultation scheduled for June 14 at 7 pm at the NBMCA office at 15 Janey Avenue will address this and other issues.

The Source Protection Plan (SP Plan) is a set of policies aimed at identifying and mitigating threats to the sources of the five municipal drinking water sources in the source protection area. The 2017 Source Protection Annual Report covers progress between when the SP Plan came into effect on July 1, 2015, and December 31, 2017. Both the Source Protection Plan and the Annual Report can be viewed at www.actforcleanwater.ca

The Drinking Water Source Protection Program is funded by the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change.

The North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority was founded in 1972 by the Province of Ontario and its 10 member municipalities. A non-profit organization, the NBMCA works closely with the public to balance human needs with environmental needs throughout the region’s watershed areas. The NBMCA is one of 36 Conservation Authorities who are members of Conservation Ontario.

5 Positions Available on Source Protection Committee

Applications for Source Protection Committee members representing Municipal (3), Economic (1) and Public-at-Large (1) sectors are now being accepted by the North Bay-Mattawa Source Protection Authority til October 31, 2017.